Kale Mushroom and Goat Cheese Buckwheat Tart

I tend to be like a mad scientist in her laboratory mixing and concocting. There's an idea of different ingredients floating in my head and I begin writing it all down in my diary. It's a process that takes days, sometimes months, before I even begin to actually play around with the ingredients in the kitchen.

I keep going back to the diary, trying to decipher my own handwriting, thinking if this is the right flavor combination. Then I am in the grocery store and see another ingredient that might work, which makes me whip my diary out and look at my notes again and my train of thought begins moving in a totally different direction.

Once I think I have it - I take my other notebook - the neater one - and write down the ingredients neatly and clearly, then I work on the actual method. What comes first and what follows, roasting, sweating or sautéing - which form of cooking brings the best flavor out. There are many things to take into account, however I am not always rewarded with the perfect results, which often makes me go back to my untidy diary and scrutinize everything again.

But what to do with the object of experiment lying in my kitchen? Obviously I will try to disguise it as dinner or dessert, if it tastes good, my two recipe testers are never the wiser. Other times I have no choice but to bin the tasteless mush because I know no matter how hard I try to disguise it nothing is going to make this thing go down too well. Then there are times that an experiment gone wrong takes me into a whole new route and experiment all over again. An experiment of and experiment if you will.

Like this recipe. It actually started out to be dinner rolls, but along the way I knew it was not going to work. Throwing it away was not an option as I had used organic products and hate wasting food. I thought of flat bread and as I was rolling it another idea popped into my head. I went to my diary (the untidy one) and flicked the pages. Yes why not.

A yeasted tart dough - maybe not a novel idea - but something about how the recipe for the dough came together was showing me it would be perfect for a tart crust. It’s rich and extremely easy to handle.

I just needed to find a perfect filling for it. Buckwheat is gorgeous, nutty and intense and so the filling had to complement it - balance the taste but not drown it out. I begin caramelizing onions as the sweetness would balance that strong earthy taste. Complementing the earthy taste of buckwheat are mushrooms, also caramelized gently for a perfect sweetness but still withholding the earthiness. Finally, I combined it with kale - gorgeous and one of my favorite leafy greens. Although kale imparts a strong flavor I wanted it's bitterness to contrast against the sweeter flavors of the caramelized vegetables.

Finally fresh and aromatic herbs like rosemary, thyme and bay leaf wraps up the entire tart making it go from ordinary to sensational. A sprinkling of goat cheese takes the tart to the next level with its creamy texture it binds all the aromas brilliantly.

In a small bowl dissolve yeast and sugar in the warm water. Allow to rest for approx. 10 minutes.

Mix together salt buckwheat flour and 115g all-purpose flour in a large bowl. Push some flour from the middle of the bowl to the sides to make a well. Pour in the egg.

Add the butter and pour the yeast-sugar liquid, then using a wooden spoon stir the ingredients in the well. Then slowly begin picking up some of the flour from the sides. Continue stirring, picking up more and more flour as you stir. In the end you should have a smooth dough, which will easily pull away from the bowl.

Transfer the dough to onto a clean countertop and begin kneading with your hands. Add the remaining all-purpose flour. Continue to knead until all the flour is incorporated. Knead for another 5-8 minutes until it is smooth and shiny. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise for approx. 1 hour. The dough should have doubled. Punch it down.

The dough is wonderfully elastic and easy to work with so there should be no trouble rolling it out. As a matter of fact I simply used my fingers to spread it out and then pressed it into my buttered tart form. You can also use a rolling pin and roll it to the size of your form.

For the filling

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C.

Heat a large pan and allow the butter to melt. Add sliced onions and sauté until translucent. Add mushrooms, herbs and salt and caramelize the vegetables on a low heat for 15-20 minutes. The mushrooms will release their juices then add the stock and reduce until the mushrooms are brown and caramelized. Remove from heat.

Sprinkle grated parmesan on the base of your crust to keep the base crisp.

Add the chopped steamed kale to the mushroom and mix to incorporate. Toss in half of the goat cheese. Season to taste.

Transfer mixture to the tart form and top with remaining goat cheese.

Bake tart for 30-45 minutes until the crust is brown and filling is hot and bubbling.

If all experiments gone wrong would end up with such incredibly delicious results I’d probably not curse as much in the kitchen. But this recipe has gone down into my neat diary – the one I save for all my experiments gone right. The rich almost brioche like dough gives so much flavor to the entire tart and the caramelized vegetables add a wonderful harmony to the nutty flavors of the dough.

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Hub might just eat this because there's goat cheese on top while I might just run away because of it. LOL! Aren't we a odd couple. But I would love to make this just for him and my parents in law who would love this dish. :)

Very creative and wise decision to not waste the dough - I feel the same way about throwing things out, that it can even be paralyzing (never starting a recipe I'm afraid will fail). The end result is beautiful, far more than the dinner rolls it was supposed to be (the brilliance of the idea is part of it).

Meeta! So glad you managed not only to salvage it but also to make such a tasty and beautiful looking tart! I love the addition of buckwheat as well!!Oh and congratulations on your interview - heading over there now to read it.

I love savoury tarts and this one looks scrumptious! What great ingredients you've put together. And the buckwheat dough sounds very intriguing. I have to search our local supermarket for the buckwheat flour next time I go shopping.

MY BF would go ape poo over this, Meeta! He's a 'part time' vegetarian (long story lol) and goes bonkers over the health benefits of kale and buckwheat! I need to make him this..but I just might eat most of it myself lol Beautiful and nummy!

thank you everyone for all your lovely comments. recipe developing and experimenting can be nerve wrecking but when the results are as good as this it was all worth it! glad you all are liking this! hugs!

Meeta,I love how you describe your thought process in concocting different recipes and salvaging ones that don't turn out how you want. I don't have a diary, but I write all over my cookbooks whenever I tweak a recipe and I write my observations right in the cookbook. Your pictures are always amazing and complement your post perfectly.

Hi Meeta! Thank you for visiting me over at KO Rasoi so that I could have the opportunity to find your blog. I'd just like to say that you are so gifted! I aspire to one day be as good as you are... Beautiful food and beautiful photography. I can't wait to sift through all of your posts and also read the new ones! :D

Oh Meeeta that sounds like heaven! I love the strident flavours in this tart and it looks so damn HEALTHY! Also love the delicious monster plant that has been lurking in the background in this and the previous post :) Makes me think of home.

wow that is genius - I can imagine this is just delicious - the only times I have had yeasted dough is in little pasties but never such wonderful filling - and it is great to hear how you come to such inspiration - would love to see inside that messy notebook

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Hello, I am Meeta a freelance food photographer, stylist and writer. After living around the globe I have found my home in the culturally rich city of Weimar, Germany. My life is a roller coaster ride and everyday I look forward to a new adventure. I enjoy preparing multi-cultural home cooked meals with fresh organic ingredients. What's for lunch, Honey? is my award winning food blog where I combine my love for food with my love for photography and styling...